Also on the more inviting side of things, character progression is a lot more difficult to achieve (but why did KOEI get rid of titles for your ranking? Level numbers just aren't as cool) and blazing through some a couple of stages with a super character after one play through is no longer a possibility. Of particular note is the modified weapons upgrade system that lowers the amount of times you'll find a new addition to your arsenal in favor of a level-up system similar to character experience. You'll still find new swords, staves, and the like, but you'll hang onto your originals for a lot longer. Other new bonuses like additional mounts, new officers, more intelligent bodyguards, and elemental weapon attachments make your character more flexible than ever before. You can even create and edit four of your own generals and import them into the storyline.

Dynasty Warriors 4's biggest adversary though, has to be its repetition. The franchise's enemy since its inception, your characters aren't going to do anything besides annihilate the competition over and over again. That type of gameplay can definitely separate its audience type rather quickly. For what it is though, DW4 tries extremely hard to avoid the boredom normally associated with such things, and most definitely succeeds.

Graphics It's safe to assume that Omega Force has pushed the Dynasty Warriors graphical engine about as far as it can go. Already impressing audiences with the product they created in Dynasty Warriors 3, the fourth installment has fixed a lot of the problems associated with that game's already marvelous presentation. For starters, the framerate is much better: with smoother animation and greater character speed when playing two-player battles. Single player is even more remarkable with further enemies displayed onscreen at one time and a healthy dose of new particles and special effects.

Character models themselves are less refined, with the same level of quality and detail found in the last game. Not that that's a bad thing necessarily, as Dynasty Warriors 3 had some admirable textures and architecture. As an added bonus, you can unlock five extra costumes for every character (some of which are really bizarre) and the transparency effects are a lot healthier. Not mentioning all the excellent color usage and object-heavy stages, however, would be nothing short of a crime.

Dynasty Warriors 4 still has a few technical limitations though. The draw-distance has yet to improve an inch since it was first introduced in part 2, and destructible objects like the tents and crates are pretty basic when compared to other games with similar abilities (see Otogi). Also, despite the improvements we mentioned with the framerate earlier, there is still a noticeable amount of slowdown in the more populated areas. Regardless, DW4 looks great.

Sound There's been an excess of pre-release disappointment surrounding the lack of Japanese vocals in Dynasty Warriors 4, and to an extent we can understand why: The English voices are terrible. Bordering on "average" during its best moments, the individual speeches are a healthy mix of terribly inflated British enunciation and enthusiastic California-dude accents.